UK Book Club discussion

Autobiography - I love all of the Tony Benn diaries especially the later ones after he leaves politics. Even for those who do not agree with his politics, the books give a real understanding of what happens behind closed doors but also the emotion and feeling he manages to portray in all areas.

Biography - Martin Luther King by Clayborne Carson. Just found it totally inspirational and reading his speeches it was almost impossible not to get lost and almost his oratory as you read them.

I actually have three, C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien and J. K. Rowling. It's just something about the telling of their life stories that intrigues me. Each story shows the process leading up to their greatest literary victories.

My favourite biography is probably 'Samuel Pepys' by Claire Tomalin. It is not only a fascinating snapshot of a very interesting time (The Restoration, the plague and the Great fire of London), but it's surprisingly entertaining - Pepys was such a lively character. Also I don't think I would ever read his full diaries, but this explores them for me!

Biography - First Man The Life of Neil Armstrong by James R. Hansen. Military pilot, test pilot, astronaut, teacher, this book tells the story of my all time hero. It is well researched and written.

I haven't read a great deal, but I quite liked Lives of Mothers & Daughters: Growing Up With Alice Munro, about Canadian writer Alice Munro by her daughter, Sheila Munro.

Agatha Christie's autobiography is simply charming, even if it doesn't cover all her life equally informatively. Also I liked David Lodge's fictional takes on H.G. Wells (A Man of Parts) and Henry James (Author, Author). Each of these books started me (re)reading the writer mentioned and thinking more about how they chose their themes and characters.

I liked Agatha Christie's autobiography too. She may or may not brush over the odd episode, but I suspect we would all do that. I liked the way she handled the difficult story of her brother. Tony Benn's on my list - I did read Dare to Be a Daniel: Then and Now many years ago.

The best autobiography I've read in recent years was Jackdaw Cake: An Autobiography by Norman Lewis. Although he was a travel writer so I suppose everything he wrote is autobiographical in a sense. I also loved Red Sky at Sunrise: Cider with Rosie; As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning; A Moment of War - I suppose a lot of British people love Laurie Lee.

I haven't read it yet, or even purchased it, but one I'd like to try is John le Carré: The Biography by Adam Sisman

I loved Claire Tomalin's biography of Charles Dickens and Alister McGrath's 'C.S.Lewis: A Life'. Although I'm a lifelong Bob Dylan fan, I found Ian Bell's 2-volume biography hard going even as an audiobook - I can't imagine ploughing through it on paper.

Reach for the Sky - biography of Douglas Bader, the only serviceman to be certified 100% fit and 100% disabled... at the same time. Read it about 20 years ago, and it's stuck with me all this time!

Bill, I've listened to the Sisman biography of John Le Carre
as an audiobook and it's like a Le Carre novel itself. It's remarkable how much of his life story comes into his novels in different ways.

I love auto/biographies!
I love sport so I read a lot of them: Clive Woodward, Marcus Tresotick's, Linvoy Primus are all good.

I also love inspritational ones where people see real change: Run baby run- Nicky Cruz, Cross and switchblade- David WIlkerson, Save me from myself- Brian Welch are all good

if you love auto/biographies then there is a group:

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Come and join in with fellow biography lovers!

Thanks Dave. Joined